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Tag: Obi

  • You’re Nigeria’s future, Obi tells pupils

    Former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi has urged students and pupils to remain focused in their endeavours.

    Obi spoke yesterday when he visited St. Peter’s Secondary School, Garaku, Nasarawa State. He donated N1 million to the school for improvement and ate lunch with the pupils.

    He told the pupils that as the future of the country, they should factor themselves into being a part of the future by making personal efforts at the growth and development of the country nurtured through education.

    The ex-governor described education as the most potent tool for anyone to compete well in the world.

    He said: “We live in a country where, rather than take the money committed to education as an investment, Nigerian leaders consider it as expenditure, thus removing it from being treated as a necessity.”

    The Catholic Bishop of Lafia, who was represented by the head teacher, Fr. Marcellinus Sa’aondo, thanked Obi for the visit.

    He said: “We are privileged to host a modest man of high pedigree, whose accomplishments have proven him to be the leading light of modern Nigeria’s democratic leadership.”

  • Obi: why Nigeria needs to be restructured

    Former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi has backed calls for restructuring.

    He spoke at the Annual Law Week of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Owerri Branch, where he presented the keynote on: Restructuring of Nigeria, a Critical Analysis.

    Obi said since the present structure was not working, the need for restructuring was not only desirable, but imperative.

    Debunking the errorneus belief that restructuring amounts to dismemberment, Obi said restructuring was an acknowledgement that what Nigeria runs had been a failure.

    Accroding to him, when something fails,  an alternative should be sought.

    Reviewing the state of the nation as a proof that Nigeria is not working, Obi compared Nigeria to other countries in the 80s, such as China and South Korea.

    Using facts and figures, he said they have all fared better than Nigeria on all indices of development.

    He said restructuring meant  looking for what those people did that lifted them up and doing them as well.

    Obi said Nigeria, for instance, had over 10 million out of school children, and lost over 4 million jobs last year, with 16 million unemployed graduates.

    He said the country had remained incapable of generating enough power and was inexorably moving negatively as could be seen through  daily killings.

    To him, the aggregate of all these centripetal, divisive forces make restructuring imperative.

    Obi regretted that 12 years after Nigeria’s debt of $32 billion was written off, the country had accumulated a debt of over $70 billion without much on ground to show for it.

    Citing other economic woes, Obi said all aspects of the country’s life needed to be restructured.

    He said the restructuring should also be packaged in such a way as to re-direct Nigeria to look inwards and transit from transaction to transformational leadership.

    Such leadership, he said, will work towards  a paradigm shift, from baggage to knowledge economy, characterised more by intellectual contributions Nigerian can make to the advancement of civilisation.

    According to Obi, beyond physical restructuring, Nigeria needs the restructuring of the mind, conditioning citizens to think more about the country than about oneself.

    “Everyday I wake up a sad man, thinking over many wrong things going on in Nigeria. Rather than sit down and tell one another the truth, Nigerians carry on as if all is well.

    “We cannot continue like this because it is bequeathing anarchy to our children,” Obi said.

    The discussants-Justice B. A Njamanze  (retd), Prof. I.D Nwaorji,  Prof A. A Igwemma and Mr.   Chukwuma Ekomaru (SAN) agreed that restructuring was necessary if Nigeria is to fully harness her potentials.

     

  • How to boost SMEs’ growth, by Obi

    FORMER  Anambra State governor, Mr. Peter Obi has listed factors that can boost Small and Medium Enterprises’ (SMEs) growth.

    Obi spoke during the just-concluded Commonwealth Business Forum in London.

    He said: “First, it has been universally acknowledged that SMEs are the backbone of any nation with good economic growth. The available statistical evidence is indicative of the correlation between SMEs, developed nations and hopeful developing nations, especially in their productive capacity and in the area of job creation.

    “Our understanding of the challenges, which SMEs face within the Commonwealth requires our grasping fully the challenges SMEs face within individual Commonwealth countries. Although the total GDP of 54 Commonwealth nations is $10 trillion, four of these countries (the United Kingdom with about $2.6 trillion, India with about $2.4 trillion, Canada with about $1.5 trillion, and Australia with about $1.2 trillion) account for over 75 per cent, while the rest of the 50 countries account for the balance of 25 per cent and only about ten (the U.K, Australia, Brunei, Canada, Cyprus, India, Malta, Pakistan, Singapore, and New Zealand) could be said to be outside the orbit of the so-called Third World economies.”

    He said the policies and support of Commonwealth countries to SMEs must be designed to accommodate the vagaries and different challenges within the various nations. The SMEs in various Commonwealth countries are consistently faced with management and development conflicts within their territories, Obi added.

    According to him, in Africa, for instance, these challenges compound the realities of those Commonwealth countries where everyday governance and developmental challenges are underpinned by stability deficits, organisational deficits, as well as scientific and technological deficits.

    He said it is not about reinventing the wheel, Commonwealth nations should understudy the impressive economic record achieved by China. China, which has the fastest sustainable economic expansion than any other major economic power in modern history, has grown its economy within a quarter of a century from a GDP of less than $1 trillion to a GDP of about $12 trillion.

    “China, with half of the 2.4 billion population of Commonwealth countries, achieved these impressive records with industrialisation and export as its back-bone.  SMEs contribute 70 per cent of China’s export earnings and 60 per cent of its 800 million jobs.

    “It then follows that with the right policies and support to SMEs across the various Commonwealth countries, the total GDP of these countries could see a growth of up to 18 trillion dollars by 2030, the deadline for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). “Such achievement would help the Commonwealth countries to create about 200 million jobs, which would be a third of the World Bank target of 600 million jobs within the said period, considering that the population of the Commonwealth countries is presently a third of the world population,” Obi said.

  • The media is critical to nation building –Obi

    FORMER Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi has described the media as critical to nation building. Obi was speaking yesterday during the 10th anniversary of UNIZIK FM held at the schools auditorium.

    Obi said that rather use the media to propagate hate speeches and negative tendencies, that the media could be effectively be used to appraise the development of the nations of the world so that the country would better appreciate what other countries are doing that make them to succeed and what others are doing that make them fail.

    Admonishing the audience who are mostly students and the youth, he called on them to have faith in themselves and their capacities arguing that most people that succeeded in the world saw opportunities where others saw nothing. Answering questions on the plight of the youth, Obi, who commended Nigerian youths for being hardworking and innovative said that the only challenge they face in Nigeria was cumulative leadership failure, which had not put things right for them to fully unleash their potentials.

  • Mahama, Obi, Dangote, others for Commonwealth Business Forum

    Former Ghana President John Mahama, former Governor of Anambra State, Mr Peter Obi, businessman Alhaji Aliku Dangote and other experts will address global leaders at the 2018 Commonwealth Business Forum holding between today and Wednesday  in London.

    The Forum will take place in conjunction with the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). The theme of this year’s Forum, the 11th in the series, will be “Delivering a Prosperous Commonwealth for All”.

    The programme of events signed by Lord Marland of Odstock shows that Obi, will speak on “What Can We Do to Encourage SMEs to Trade and Invest Confidently across The Commonwealth?”

    The former governor is expected “to contribute (his) experience and leadership in this area” during the session to be held at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre on tomorrow.

    “The Forum,” according to the organisers, “is a truly global event, bringing together Heads of Government, Ministers, and senior business leaders from around the world. It will provide a valuable opportunity for high level dialogue on trade and investment between business and government leaders from across the Commonwealth and beyond.

    “Organised by the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council, working with the UK Government and in partnership with the City of London, it will be a unique gathering of global leaders. The event will be held across three iconic London venues: the Guildhall, Mansion House and the QEII Conference Centre.”

    The organisers described the Forum as “an opportunity to identify areas in which the Commonwealth can help its member countries to access modern financial services, harness technology and innovation, attract inward investment, and to improve sustainable business practices, particularly through public-private sector collaboration.”

    The event holds less than a month after the Global Festival of Action for Sustainable Development at the World Conference Centre, Bonn, Germany, at which Mr Obi was invited as “an expert speaker” to speak on African Leaders & SDG.

     

  • NBA 2018 elections: South East SANs adopt Obi for president

    AHEAD of the July 2018 elections of the Nigerian Bar Association ( NBA), the South East Senior Advocates of Nigeria ( SANs), on Saturday in Enugu, adopted Chief Arthur Obi Okafor SAN, as their candidate for NBA President. A resolution issued by the group and signed by Chief Anthony Mogboh SAN reads: “ Whereas on Saturday February 3, 2018, the Eastern Bar Forum ( EBF) which encompasses all branches of the NBA in Eastern Nigeria, in their resolution adopted Chief Arthur Obi Okafor SAN as its candidate for the post of the President of the NBA in the July 2018 elections “Now the South East Senior Advocates of Nigeria at its meeting held on April 3, 2018, at the residence of Chief Anthony Mogboh SAN, being bound by the resolution of the EBF, hereby resolve and adopt Chief Arthur Obi Okafor SAN as their candidate for the post of President of the NBA in the election that will take place in July 2018” The EBF had in Port Harcourt adopted Chief Arthur Obi Okafor ( SAN) for the position of NBA President, Stanley Chidozie Imo, for First Vice-President, Sabastine Anyia for Welfare Secretary, Uju Mary Chukwuma- Okafor for Treasurer, Innocent Nnamdi Ezeh for Legal Adviser Emeka Anosike Financial Secretary and Mr. Seth Nwokolo for the office of Assistant Publicity Secretary. The candidates emerged after a rigorous screening exercise conducted by the forum’s screening committee comprising all the members of the Governing Council of the association, branch chairmen and secretaries of all EBF branches, all Senior Advocates of Nigeria from the EBF States, all national officers of the NBA from the EBF zone, in compliance with Article 11 of its Constitution. This was subsequently approved by the General Meeting of the EBF.

  • Obi to pupils: education will set you free

    Former Anambra State Governor Obi has advised pupils of Christ the King College, Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State and Girls’ Secondary School, Agulu, Anambra State to focus on their education.

    He told them that education remained the greatest weapon to liberate people and society from ignorance, slavery and prepare them for competition in the world. Obi said this while celebrating “My Freedom Day”, with them.

    In his separate addresses to both schools, Obi who requested they remember Chibok and Dapchi girls in their prayers, ascribed those anti-social and grievous ills taking place in the society as borne out of lack of functional education that would have taught those engaging in such that it is suicidal destroying one’s society.

    Obi called on the students to always be of good behaviour and to choose reputable men with track record of achievements and decency in both public and private lives as role models.

    The high point of Obi’s visit was the presentation of N1 million cheque each to the two schools to support them in their infrastructural improvement.

    “My Freedom Day”, celebrated yearly on the 14th of March, is a CNN creation, to sensitize students on the importance of education as a veritable vehicle to fight slavery.

  • Obi, Rewane, others to speak at AKLS event

    Obi, Rewane, others to speak at AKLS event

    FORMER governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, will be speaking at this year’s Annual Kingdom Life Summit, organized by the New Estate Baptist Church, Surulere, Lagos.

    The event themed ‘Greater Grace’ according to the convener, Samson Adedokun, will take place between February 8 and 10. His words: “The morning sessions will focus on the economy and governance of our nation.

    The Economic Forum will hold on Thursday February 8, 2018 at New Estate Baptist Church. The theme for the session is Strategic Investment Opportunities in a Consolidating Economy.

    We will have Mr. Ayo Teriba, a seasoned economist giving us insight into the economy; Prof. Segun Ajibola, President of Chartered Institute of Bankers speaking on business and ethical issues; Ms. Patience Oniha, Director-General of the Debt Management Office bringing the Government Perspective; We are also expecting Mr. Bismarck Rewane to bring the investment perspective to bear.

    “The Governance Forum will hold on February 9, at the same venue. The theme is Politics, Governance and Leadership: Raising a New Generation of Leaders. We expect to have Dr. Olorunnimbe Mamora, a distinguished former senator, bringing the political perspective at this meeting. Dr. Joe Abah, former Director-General, Bureau of Public Service Reforms, speaking to governance issues; Dr. John Dara, a former presidential aspirant will be sharing his insight.

    The forum is expected to also have Dr. Peter Obi, former Governor of Anambra State, bring us the leadership perspective. “The evening sessions will be our life transforming spiritual sessions.

    On Thursday night, we will privileged to have Rev. Victor Adeyemi of Global Harvest Church ministering and on Friday night and Saturday morning, we will welcome our father, Pastor J. T. Kalejaiye to bring the word and release greater grace. ‘’Nigeria is entering another cycle of elections.

    We consider that there is a need for all of us to become more concerned about the needless bloodletting, the mindless wastages, the purposeless policies, the unmitigated recklessness, the divisive speeches, and the unlimited corruption in the land.

    It is the reason why we need grace for our lives, grace for our livelihoods, and grace for our future.’’

  • Ekwueme was a Good, Exemplary Nigerian – Obi, Nwosu, Ogbeh, Orji

    The former Gov. of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi has described the former Vice President, Late Dr. Alex Ekwueme as a good Nigerian, who showed us example through his commitment to Nation- building.

    Obi, who accompanied his mortal remains from U.K yesterday spoke during the brief ceremonies  at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja. Describing Ekwueme as a father, Obi said that “the best way to preserve his memories  is through good governance along his lofty dreams of peace and development anchored on justice and equity, which he pursued with adamantine consistency.”

    Similarly, the former Minister of Health, Prof. ABC Nwosu said that Dr. Ekwueme, until his last breath, remained a thoroughbred professional, focused politician,  committed patriot and worthy statesman. He prayed to God to grant him eternal rest.

    On the part of the Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh, Ekwueme was a true father and a patriot.

    Collaborating the foregoing, the former Governor of Abia State, Senator Theodore Orji described Ekwueme as one politician that had the interest of the country at heart and remained focused and consistent on that.

    The Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh( middle), flanked by fmr Gov. Peter Obi( left), and Fmr. Minister of Health, Prof. ABC Nwosu, during the brief burial ceremonies of Late Dr. Alex Ekwueme at Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja, yesterday.

     

  • Bring home your ideas, Obi tells Diaspora Nigerians

    Bring home your ideas, Obi tells Diaspora Nigerians

    Former Anambra Governor Peter Obi has called on Nigerians in Diaspora to develop full interest in what happens in the nation.

    He stated the task of developing Nigeria is for all Nigerians, whether home or abroad.

    Obi who spoke yesterday at the inaugural investment conference with the theme of “Investing in Nigeria from the Diaspora: Challenges and Opportunities ” by the Nigerian American Business Forum at Tampa, Florida.

    The former governor compared the economies of China, Indonesia, India, Philippines, South Korea and Malaysia with Nigeria, submitting with empirical examples how the nation’s problem emanates from “leadership failure” over the years.

    Obi said that nothing those countries did was “rocket science”, pointing out leaders and followers understood set goals and pursued them without distractions.

    He thanked the organisers for thinking about Nigeria, saying that he was satisfied since “the very act of thinking about the rot in the country is a proof that Nigerians are becoming aware of the missing link in the development of the country.

    “Once a people start re-orientating their consciousness towards developmental needs, their salvation could be said to be at sight.”

    Using the history of Indians and Jews as examples, he said it was the history of a people whose Diasporas never forgot homes.

    According to him: “Nigeria Diaspora remittances estimated at nearly $23 billion per annum are second only to oil as source of national revenue.

    “Incidentally, most of these remittances are informal and uncategorised. Yet we cannot discount its value and the good it can do to nation-building if properly leveraged.

    “Nigeria as it is, offers a huge demographic and consumer market.”